Set in 1930s Italy, Marcello has spent his life accommodating others, in search for a sense of belonging. When he is drawn into the fascist party, he agrees to assassinate a political refugee who turns out to be his former college professor. A blend of thriller and political parable, Bernardo Bertolucci’s psychological portrait of a fascist flunky proved an inspiration to American directors such as Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, and Michael Mann.

Reviews

‘In this dazzling film, Bertolucci manages to combine the bravura style of Fellini, the acute sense of period of Visconti and the fervent political commitment of Elio Petri — and, better still, a lack of self-indulgence.’
★★★★★
Kevin Thomas, LA Times